Questions tagged [singular-vs-plural]
For questions about the difference between singular and plural forms of a word; when they should be used, or the difference between them.
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in others' eyes
"I have seen a trace of strain
In other's eyes, not spoken"
From the song: "The Sea Refuses No River" by Pete Townshend.
Source:
https://www.streetdirectory.com/lyricadvisor/song/...
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"a bunch of random Xs {do/does}”
I think this might prove to be an interesting question for learners and native speakers alike. At least I hope so.
This question was posted recently:
"seeing what what looks like a bunch of ...
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Here, "supports" appears in the plural. Why is there this difference in usage? ("Analysis on Manifolds" by James R. Munkres.)
This passage is a quotation from a mathematics book, Analysis on Manifolds by James R. Munkres. My question is about the English usage. Why is compact support in the singular form here?
Roughly ...
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subject verb agreement in Collins Dictionary usage of “temperatures"
Source: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/celsius
Highest temperatures 11° Celsius, that's 52° Fahrenheit.
Since the subject "temperatures" is plural, why isn't the be-...
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In "the tapeworm is an inhabitant of the intestine", is there only one tapeworm?
The following phrase comes from Merriam Webster Dictionary's entry for the word inhabitant:
the tapeworm is an inhabitant of the intestine
where the word inhabitant is defined as follows:
one that ...
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the preceding month or months?
There are 12 preceding months so the plural "months" should be used. Is this correct? But the chart uses the singular "month" so maybe the singular is correct?
The line graph ...
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Why is zero plural?
I saw this sentence in the math textbook.
For example, if we choose two 2s, zero 3s, and one 5, we get the divisor
Here they said zero 3s and one 5. Two is plural and one is singular, which is ...
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How can "compare the number of A and the number of B" be grammatically shortened?
The graph compares the number of A and the number of B.
I was thinking it equals:
The graph compares the number of A and B.
But the number of A and the number of B are two different numbers, so should ...
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Counting piano as a performance
Can I say I “I like his piano” to mean “I like his piano performances”?
If so, when you are asking someone about preference for listening to piano performances, which is the most idiomatic?
(With the ...
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Canned food/foods
I'm a bit uncertain whether 'food' or 'foods' should be used in the example below.
I found a lot of canned food(s) in the kitchen. (I found several cans with food in them)
Could anyone help me out? ...
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Isn't it convenient to pronounce "-man" in "salesman" and "-men" in "salesmen" differently as you do it in "man [mæn]" and "men [men]"?
"Man" and "men" are different in pronunciation:
man [mæn]
men [men]
As are some other word pairs:
handyman [ˈhændimæn]
handymen [ˈhændimen]
bogeyman [ˈbəʊɡimæn]
bogeymen [ˈbəʊɡimen]...
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What's the subject of "are unclear" in this context?
I came across this question on YouGov:
Do you think the Labour Party has a clear sense of purpose, or are unclear about what they stand for?
Is this sentence grammatically correct? I’m having ...
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Definite article + plural nouns
I came across the following paragraph in a bidding document issued by the state of Alabama:
Before submitting a bid for the Work, the bidders shall carefully examine the Bid Documents,
visit the site,...
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flew their kite on a windy day
a. They flew their kite on a windy day.
Could that sentence be used if the intended meaning is that they flew their kites on windy days? They did this multiple times. This was their habit.
Can it be ...
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A general statement: Subjects agree with their verb [duplicate]
I want to make a general statement:
(1) Subjects agree with their verb
(2) Subjects agree with their verbs
(3) People nod their head when they agree
(4) People nod their heads when they agree
As I ...
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